Relay



P. C. HEWITT.

RELAY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9. I916.

WITNESSES.

INVENTOI? 7/ I I I! Patented Oct. 11, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER coorna imwrrn-or nmewoon MANOR, NEW JERSEY.

RELAY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,PETER COOPER HEWITT, a citizen of the "United States, and resident of Ringwood Manor, county of Passa c, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Relays, of which the following is a specification.

The invention comprises the use in an evacuated electrical apparatus of more than one conductor that may act as a cathode. It

also comprises the control of the action of said electrodes by means of the temperature control thereof." v

The invention is illustrated in the accompan ing'drawings, in which Figure 1 shows in e evation, with some of the parts shown in perspective, one form of my apparatus and Figs. 2, 3 and 4 illustrate modifications. Referring to-the drawings,-1, is an evacuated container. In Fig. 1 I show a conducting plate, 2, say, of nickel, within the container and two conducting filaments, 3 and 4, each of which is supplied with current from a source, 5, 5', such as batteries, and within the circuit of which are placed adjustable resistances, 6, 6. arrangement holds, but in this figure I show a, second conducting plate, 7, the two conducting plates facing each other inside the container. The conducting filaments which, by way of example, may e of tungsten, are placed in. front of the conducting plate or plates, as the case may be, and one of the said filaments, as 3, may constitute a shield, screen, or rid placed between the conducting plate in ig. 1, say, and the filament 4 in said figure. This invention is useful for amplifying electrical currents and translating variations and when used in such connection, either filament may act as the grid or screen and the temperature of each may be controlled in such manner as to pass the desired amount of current in either direction. By these means, either filamentv may be brought to any desired temperature and the temperature selected for'either filament will determine the action thereof as a cathode.

The above remarks apply with equal force to Fig. 2, as will be readil understood.

Assuming, now, that t e filament 4- in Fig. 1 is very highly heated, say, to white heat, while the filament 3 is brought only to red heat, then different amounts of current will pass in one direction between 3 and 4;

for a given potential between them, than will a In Fig. 2 the same general Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct, 1 1 1921 Application filed March'9, 1916. Serial No. 83,027.

, pass in the other direction. Moreover, the

tential-applied, it being understood that the conducting plate, itself, is not'heated. Fig.

2 shows another plate not heated, by means of which it is made possible to utilize the inyentlon in connection with circuits greater 1n number than can be used with the type shown in Fig. 1. a To attain the greatest degree of sensitiveness it is necessar that the capacity between the circuits and associated apparatus be made as small as possible. To this end large surfacesof connecting circuits must not be approached too near together. d

When used in connection with circuits wherein electrical variations are impressed which the variations are impressed to such a point that it will act to dissipate any undesirable charge that mayaccumulate.

I have not thought itnecessary to illustrate the circuits employed in connection with the apparatus shown, inasmuch as the relations involved are of great variety and I desire to be free to utilize any system of circuits in connection with the apparatus without being limited to any particular set of circuits. In Fig. 1, I show a source of variations connected between the elements 3 and 4:. The source of variation may be connected either as shown in Fig. 1 or connected with any two of the electrodes '2 and 3, and 2 and 4, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, respectively; or, it may be found advantageous for certain purposes to place only one of the electrodes under the influence of the variations and this may be done by bringing one wire from the source of variation, say, to electrode 3, as shown in Fig. 2.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an evacuated electric apparatus, a

' container having an anode and a cathode therein, means for heating said cathode, a conducting member acting as a screen inclosed within the container and adjacent to the said anode and means for heating the said conducting member to a'temperature having any desired relation to the temperature of the heated electrode.

2. An evacuated electric apparatus having a plurality of electrodes including an anode, a cathode, a screen adjacent to said anode, and separate means for heating the screen and one of the other electrodes to selected relative temperatures.

3. An evacuated electric apparatus having an anode and a cathode, means for heating said cathode, and an electrode acting as a screen adjacent to said anode, and separate means for heating said screen, and serving to maintain said screen and. one of the other electrodes, during operation, at any desired relative temperatures.

4. An evacuated electric apparatus having an anode and a cathode and an electrode acting as a screen adjacent to said anode, separate means for heating the said screen to maintain it and another electrode, during operation, at any desired temperatures.

5. An evacuated electric apparatus having an anode and a cathode, and a separate conducting member acting as a screen, adjacent to said anode, and separate heating means peculiar to said screen serving, during operation, to maintain an electrode and the conducting member at any desired difference of temperature.

6. An evacuated electric apparatus having an anode and a cathode, one of which is a filament inclosed in said ap aratus, means for heating said filament, a H amentary conductor acting as a screen adjacent to said anode and separate means for passing heating current continuously through the said filamentary conductor.

7. An evacuated electric apparatus having an anode and a cathode, and an electrode acting as a screen adjacent to said anode, separate means for heating the screen and one of the other electrodes, and means for impressing electrical variations on an electrode.

8. An evacuated electric apparatus havin an anode, a cathode, means-for heating sai cathode and an electrode acting as a screen adjacent to said anode, separate means for heating the screen and a source of variations connected to at least one of said electrodes.

9. In an evacuated electric apparatus, a container and an anodeand a cathode'therein, means for heating said cathode, a conducting member acting as a screen inclosed Within. said container and adjacent to said anode, separate means for heating said conducting member, and means for impressing electrical variations thereon.

10. In an electric apparatus, a container having a plurality of electrodes therein including an anode and a cathode, a screen adjacent to said anode, and separate means for heating said screen.

11. In. an evacuated electric apparatus, a container having a plurality of electrodes therein, including an anode and a cathode, means for heating said cathode, a screen adjacent to said anode, and separate means for heating said screen.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and Stateof New York, this 7th day of March A. D. 1916.

PETER COOPER HEWITT. Witnesses:

WALTER E. F. BRADLEY. RAYNER M. BEDELL. 

